As the countdown to this year’s 5th anniversary Spring Awakening Music Festival comes to an end, I thought I’d share with you my TOP 5 memories from the past 4 years of the festival.
Number 5: Kaskade closing set of Spring Awakening 2014.
Kaskade always brings his “A” game, and when he closed out Spring Awakening 2014 it wasn’t any different. He blended in his own hits with songs that kept the vibes good and the crowd going. The best moment was when he dropped “Atmosphere” with visuals of all of the major Chicago sports team logos, followed by a waving Chicago flag.
Number 4: JackU making their Midwest debut – Spring Awakening 2015.
Whether you love them or hate them for it, JackU has brought great success to Diplo and
Jack U Crowd
Skrillex in a very short amount of time. This was also icing on the cake for Reacts lineup reveal, though many people already figure it out prior to the release. Fans literally rushed the stage during their mid day set. See image >>>>>>.
Number 3:Trance Arena Stage – Spring Awakening 2015.
Last year’s debut of curated stages at Spring Awakening was a great addition to the
already successful festival. The Trance Arena stage stood out to me the most, with a stacked lineup and a really cool lighting/stage set up, that I can best describe as a very mini “mega structure” you see at Miami or EDC. As artists changed their shifts and continuously brought their “A” games, it was hard to leave to check out any other stages.
Number 2: Moby’s set in the rain – Spring Awakening 2013
When Moby took the stage in 2013, the heavens opened in a downpour. Unlike 2012, there was no threat of lightning. As lasers cut through the rain they created a very unique visual. The young crowd flocked to floor level. They had their minds blown as this mature DJ blended and mixed songs and genres alike in near perfection. Thus, my respect and love for Moby was born. I was able to see him at several festivals around the country in the coming years and he has never disappointed. My only regret is not seeing him at Spring Awakening 2012.
Number 1: Skrillex closing set in the rain – Spring Awakening 2012
It seems that rain does not take away from Spring Awakening, it can actually enhances it. When day one of the inaugural Spring Awakening Music Festival (2012) was nearing its end, Chicago was about to be hit by rain and possible lightning strikes. This pushed React to cut Benny Benassi’s set short to allow Skrillex to play his. Midway through Skrillex’ set the rain started to pour, and the already massive crowd in center of Soldier Field grew larger as festival goers embraced the rain. The visual effect that the lasers created while hitting raindrops was out of this world. It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but back then the vibes were good, everything was new, and people embraced every minute of the festival especially the music. Watch a short clip from that set below. At roughly 20 seconds into the video, you can see the lasers hitting the rain. Sorry for the bad quality, but phone cameras weren’t that great back then.
If you attended all 4 previous Spring Awakening Music Festivals, what are your top memories?